


Goodnight, Charlie Brown

by Melethril



Series: The Phoenix and the Eagle [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Infinity War, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7522069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melethril/pseuds/Melethril
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper and Rhodey knew him best. They had seen him at his best and worst.</p><p>However, there were a few things neither Pepper nor Rhodey knew about him.</p><p>For example, Tony had read and watched every comic strip and alternative incarnation of Peanuts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodnight, Charlie Brown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VeraNera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeraNera/gifts).



> So this is the 4th installment after 'Tinker Tinker Little Stark' 'Never Walk Again' and 'Pulling Rank'. It all belongs to the same universe. The series for this 'worst-case-scenario' world is called "The Phoenix and the Eagle". You might want to read the other one-shots first, or this might not make sense.
> 
> I would not call this a crack!shot or silly, because I took it quite seriously, but still, it's Peanuts so it might seem a bit silly to you.
> 
> This is gifted to and inspired by a comment made by VeraNera:
> 
> "(...)And why *is* Tony the 'Charlie Brown' of the MCU?(…)"
> 
> Dear VeraNera,
> 
> I am sure this is not what you wanted or what you expected, but I was inspired by this comment. Thanks :-)

There were few things Rhodey (or Pepper) did not know about him.  
When it came to major things, Yinsen was the most prominent (Tony could not tell them; it hurt thinking about Yinsen; that gentle soul who had saved the very person he should have despised. A hero. Unlike him).  
They knew almost all of the small things (for example that he claimed to hate Tolkien, but secretly loved that world the man had created).  
There was one small thing neither of them knew, however.  
Tony had read and watched every comic strip and alternative incarnation of Peanuts. Charlie Brown was his patron saint (on paper, he was catholic. He did not believe in any of that, but his mother had, and he had loved his mother). He had both related to and felt for the kid who had tried so hard and never stopped trying but could never quite get it right. Whenever he had tried to get his father’s attention (love) and failed, he had said, _‘Point to you, Charlie Brown.’_  
The boy’s lack of confidence had always struck a chord in Tony. On one hand, it had made him want to protect him, and find a real-life Charlie Brown to make their life easier (You’re tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut). On the other, he had envied the kid for being able to openly live that insecurity he felt on a daily basis.

_Tony’s hands flew over the keyboard. He was almost there. Not too difficult. Dangerous. They had to stop Thanos or Earth would die. He was an Avenger; he could do this. He had to._

He had never doubted his skills. Unlike Charlie, he had always been able to do anything he had tried his hands on (he had built a self-flying kite just for spite), though he had not been the most enthusiastic sportsman (he was good at weight-lifting; he had to be or he would not be able to do the kind of work he did). However, while Charlie had friends (though they did not always like him), and was quite good with human interaction (or at least not as pathetic as Tony), the engineer had spent his entire childhood alone. He had made his first robot at twelve and named him Snoopy… Howard had not liked him.  
DUM-E had followed three years later, a few months before he met his Linus. However, Rhodey was so much better than Linus or any other potential friend he had imagined over the years.  
Rhodey was real and there, and he was his first taste of real friendship; also his last, in a way. Rhodey was his best friend and his brother, and everything. Nobody could compete with Rhodey (there was Pepper, but she was…Pepper; and Bruce… that was different as well – when ‘that’ still existed; he did not dare think about the other [or JARVIS]). Treat Colonel James Rhodes without respect, and you dealt with the wrath of Tony Stark (not that people would ever dare disrespect Rhodey; the man’s sheer presence already demanded the admiration he deserved).  
When he had met Rhodey and they actually became friends, Tony had thought, _‘Point to me, Charlie Brown.’_

_Twenty seconds._  
_‘Done, people. Time for you to leave. Now!’_  
_‘Tony, get the hell our of there!’_  
_‘Mr. St…Tony, where are you? I’m coming for you.’ Tony’s heart twisted painfully._  
_‘Don’t you dare, kid. Stay the hell where you are! I’m coming!’_

_The Peanuts Movie had upset him horribly. It should not have. First of all, it was a kid’s movie, but more importantly, it should have made him happy. However, it came out so shortly after Sokovia, when everything went to hell in a hand basket (Come back, Brucie. I’m sorry!), that the thought of Charlie Brown getting what he wanted, was unbearable. Even worse (and strangely enough), it had taught him to hope._  
_If Charlie Brown could succeed in his endeavors, maybe so could he._

Then the Accords happened.

 _He could feel the blast through the suit, as the force ripped through his body, and he was thrown back._  
Pain.  
_Rhodey caught him. Of course he did._  
_It was over. They had won._  
Point to me, Charlie Brown.  
_Tony smiled, “We did it, Rhodey.”_  
_“Hey, man, stay with me, Tones! You did it. This was brilliant, by the way – as usual – I don’t say that enough. Come on, stay awake, we will get you a doctor in no time, just fight, okay?”_  
_“No,” Tony’s smile was still there. He would die as a hero. He hated upsetting Rhodey, he did not want to leave him, but… “This is good. I get Yinsen now. I know why he…I want this... I want this.” He did not believe in an afterlife, but he hoped Yinsen was proud of him._  
_“Tony? Tony?! Stay with me, you bastard, come on!”_  
Goodnight, Charlie Brown.

He knew he was not dead. He could not be. It hurt too much. Also, there was Rhodey, and Rhodey must have lived; even if there was an afterlife, an angel (eagle) like Rhodey would never be sent to the same place as Tony.  
Despair encompassed him as reality set in.  
“No! Why did you…? No, no, no… I’m tired. I wanted to go as a hero; just one more time. I wanted them to acknowledge that I’m one of them. Please, Rhodey. It won’t be the same. I’ll mess it up again. I’m tired, please…”  
He should have known. He should have. His plans never worked.  
_Point to you, Charlie Brown._


End file.
